After the notching of the bird has been carried out, it is necessary to remove feathers from the carcass first of all, it is easier to say - pluck. How to do it quickly, correctly and efficiently? There are some secrets to this work. This article provides tips on how to pluck domestic duck and wild. Information is also provided on the different methods of processing the bird and the procedure.
The main secrets at work
When planning how to properly pluck a duck, first of all, choose one of the types of processing: the dry method or the method of hot wet removal of feathers. Before starting work, it is worth considering some features:
- it is better not to expose young carcasses to prolonged external heat treatment in order to avoid excessive scalding together with the feathers of the skin of the bird, which may cause surface damage;
- for the old bird, only the method of hot heating is suitable, which will greatly facilitate the work and allow you to get a neatly processed semi-finished product;
- the conditions described above do not apply to game, so the skin of the bird is more elastic, without excess fat accumulation, which makes it easy to process the shot trophy in any way.
How to pluck a duck with a dry method?
This type of plucking differs in that it does not require additional processing of the carcass. It is most suitable in cases where you do not plan to cook poultry meat immediately, but intend to leave it for storage for a while. It is best to carry out the work immediately after slaughtering the bird while it is still warm. The dry method is especially suitable for game, regardless of the time of shooting. In addition, when removing feathers in dry form, it is easier to save them for future use (self-made pillows).
So, place the bird on a flat surface. The head is best directed down. Blood will gradually descend into this part of the carcass. But how to pluck a domestic duck if her head was previously cut off? Wait until the blood drains completely, and then bandage the skin on top of the cervical bone, pulling it a little while. Removing feathers begin with the abdomen, moving from the neck to the tail. Grabbing them in small bunches from the base, try to stretch the skin a little in the direction "away". Do the same by turning the bird upside down. It will be most problematic to remove feathers from the wings and tail. To do this, you can use a blunt knife, with which hard processes are pressed with your fingers a few pieces to a hard surface and sharply pulled out.
How to pluck the duck after scalding?
The time of hot wet processing depends, first of all, on the age of the bird. Usually, game and old domestic animals need at least five to seven minutes to be in freshly boiled water. Young carcasses need to be immersed in a hot liquid for no more than one or two minutes, watching for uniform enveloping of the solution.
What to do and how to pinch a duck that is covered with feathers of varying degrees of “molting”
When growing domestic ducks before cutting meat, you must always consider their age. Usually, early bird species that gain weight already on the 60-70th day do not always have a good feather cover. What does it mean? The skin will be strewn with feathers of various degrees of growth - from small feathers to the so-called “hemp” (semi-mature tubular formations with a soft structure). Therefore, to make plucking easy, and the finished carcass had a completely salable appearance, wait about two weeks until the birds are completely covered with feathers of the same maturity.